Michael Okunloro | Elevate Your Style

There is something sacred about beginnings.
The quiet light before the sun fully rises.
The stillness before movement.
The intention before action.
That is what New Dawn feels like to me.

Not a loud reinvention, But a grounded becoming.

This year, we are invited to move differently, to recommit to our values, to honour the season we are in, to choose depth over distraction. And for me, that invitation is deeply personal. By day, I work in the world of systems and structure as a software tester, a space that demands detail, logic, and precision. But creativity has always lived alongside that structure. Outside of my nine-to-five, I step into fashion as a stylist and content creator, curating modest, intentional looks that reflect both identity and story.

I have always lived at the intersection of structure and expression.

Growing up Nigerian and Muslim, faith and culture shaped how I saw the world and how I dressed within it. I learned early that clothing could carry meaning. That modesty could be powerful. That preparation for prayer, for gatherings, for Sundays, was an act of honour.

Even in secondary school, when uniforms made us all look the same, I found ways to express myself. A different pair of shoes. A carefully chosen bag. Small details that quietly said, I am here, and I am me.

Those moments taught me that individuality does not need volume. It needs intention.

As Women’s Creative Director for 2026 at Elevate Your Style, my vision for this year’s curated look book is rooted in that same intentionality. The theme New Dawn calls us into alignment, with our values, our faith, our culture, and our current season.

The colour green, in all its shades, represents growth, renewal, grounding, and becoming. And that is exactly what I want this collection to embody. Not just beauty for beauty’s sake but depth. Not just style but substance.

Through cultural silhouettes, sharp tailoring, statement headpieces, and flowing dresses, the look book will tell a story of women who are anchored. Women who dress not just to be seen, but to express. Women who understand that how they show up externally can reflect who they are internally.

To me, Sunday Best is more than an outfit. It is a ritual. It is pressing your clothes the night before. It is choosing pieces with care. It is moving between sacred spaces and familiar living rooms. It is faith, family, music, food, laughter and the quiet confidence of showing up fully.

New Dawn, for me, means integration.
It means embracing both the analytical and the artistic.
It means growing without uprooting yourself.
It means choosing alignment over applause.

Style becomes individuality when it is intentional, when it reflects your beliefs, your heritage, your lived experience, and your present season. In a world that rewards speed and surface, choosing depth is a statement.

This year, I choose depth.
I choose growth.
I choose grounding.
I choose becoming.

Here’s to new dawns, everything green, and showing up in truth. please find the link to the Sunday Best Look book for Sunday Best Here : https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1bWAE5VM5xVA4exVZ0k_Fyv7jouI95DZj?usp=drive_link

Suliat Ayinla
Women’s Creative Director 2026
Elevate Your Style Movement